The Ledger 50, 2011: New Jersey's top senior football recruits and where they ended up

For the first time, The Star-Ledger ranked the state’s top senior recruits in 2011.

View full sizeTim Farrell/The Star-LedgerDevin Fuller of Old Tappan led the inaugural Ledger 50 at No. 1 in 2011.

Team rankings have been a staple of the newspaper for decades and individual rankings for athletes have been part of wrestling and cross-country coverage for years. But this football season marked a new undertaking, in which our staff scrutinized the state’s senior standouts and selected the top 50 according to potential beyond high school.

This is not to be confused with All-State selections or any other postseason honors, which are primarily based on statistics and contributions to team success on the field from September through December.

In-season performance is considered, but the players are also ranked according to such factors as the level of interest by NCAA programs, the types of schools in pursuit and the response in recruiting circles to the athletes’ performances in off-season combines.

The rankings, like others, will be subject to change over the course of the season.

Devin Fuller of Old Tappan, the dazzling quarterback who will take his considerable talents to UCLA, headed the inaugural Ledger 50.